Greece is gearing up for what is expected to be an outstanding year in travel for the entire country.
The Greek Tourism Ministry is anticipating the sector will return to pre-pandemic levels in 2022, as officials are working closely with industry leaders to ensure it’s a record year across the board.
In 2019, over 33 million visitors arrived in Greece, up from 24 million in 2015, making it one of the most visited countries in Europe and the world.
And according to Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias, this year will see a booming comeback with new projects including upgrading important tourism infrastructure, setting up a crisis management task force, and new training programs for tourism professionals.
The Ministry also stressed the importance of highlighting Greece as a year-round destination, extending the tourism season, promoting lesser-known destinations, attracting higher-quality tourists, promoting cruise travel, attracting tourism investment, as well as focusing on sustainable tourism practices.
So far, the government has approved projects including upgrades to tourist ports, development of winter and mountain tourism, development of wellness and health tourism, training programs for tourism employees, agri-food and gastronomy tourism, diving and underwater tourism as well as making beaches more accessible to those with disabilities.
According to trade publication Travel Pulse, a recent survey by tour operators worldwide revealed key travel trends and top destinations for 2022, with Europe leading the way. Italy is currently ranking as the number one place of interest, Greece, and France tying second, and Ireland coming in at number three.
In another report just released by Greek tourism research group Tourix, Athens is also attracting more and more interest from the United States, Israel, and Cyprus.
